Electric switch



(No Model.)

C. G. BERGQUIST. ELECTRIC SWITCH.4

No. 558,343. Patented Apr. 14, 1896. TQQ-' l# UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

. CIIAELEs CUs'rAE BERGQUIST, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,343, dated April 14, 1896. Application nea June 25,1895. semina. 554,038. (No maar To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES GUSTAF BERG- QUIST, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Electric Switch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to construct a simple, compact, and eifective electric switch for attachment to electric fixtures, which will have the appearance of a gas-key,and in which the electricity will be turned on and off by the movement required in operating the gaskey.

My invention consists in a support for the switch, 'an insulated switch-arm carried by a revoluble tubular shaft, two contacts for receiving the wires, a ratchet-wheel attached to onto the body of the switch, and in a keypassing into the spherical casing and screwing into the tubular shaft of the switch, all as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying` drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved electric switch. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on lines 2 2 in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is atransverse section taken on line 4 4 in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a perspective view` showing the operative parts of the switch, the casing being omitted.

As shown in the views, the improved switch comprises a body A, consisting of a tube or rod having a circular cross-section and having its end portions a interiorly and exteriorlyscrew-threaded, the central part a thereof being recessed or cut away and iiattened on its upper side, as clearly seen in the drawings.

On the flattened central part of the body A is arranged a flat plate b, of insulating material, having a general rectangular form', and in said central part a of the body is journaled a shaft B, extending at right angles to the flattened upper face thereof and having its lower end b. reduced and squared and also provided with an axial interiorly-threaded socket, as seen in Fig. 4, its upper end being also reduced, as seen at b2, to receive a ratchetwheel or toothed plate c, also constructed by preference of insulating material and arranged iiush on the plate b.

The teeth of the ratchet-wheel or plate c are arranged to be engaged by a bent leafspring c', havin g an angular depending shank c2, arranged to be slid into a groove or channel formed in one side of the plate b and body A, the sides of said groovebeing undercut,

as clearly shown, in order to hold said shank,

which is curved concentric with the curved face of the body A, securely in place.

Above the ratchet-wheel or plate c are arranged two washers c c on the reduced upper end h2 of shaft B, and between said washers is arranged a switch-arm d, insulated from said shaft by means of a projection on one of said washers e c', which extends through the central openin g in said switch-arm CZ, as clearly seen in the sectional view, Fig. 4. The upper end of the portion b2 of shaft B is screwthreaded to receive a nut f, which is squared, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5, and serves to hold the various parts in place on said shaft. As seen in the drawings,'the lower washer eprojects beyond the ratchet-wheel or plate c, so as to engage the upper side of the spring c', whereby said spring is held against slipping up out of the groove wherein it is held when the parts are assembled.

At opposite ends of the plate'b of insulating material are arranged contact-points g g', adapted to be engaged by the opposite projecting ends of the switch-arm d when the same is turned so as to stand in the position seen in Fig. 3; but when the said arm d is turned so as to stand in the position seen in Fig. 5 the ends thereof are moved out of contact with said contact-points and the electrical connection between said contact-points is broken.

Wires h h serve to conve)7 the electricity to and from the switch, these wires being carried through the tubular ends a of the body, and when desired said tubular body may be employed as a protector or conduit for other electric circuits, as shown at Z in Figs. 3 and 4. Said wires maybe inclosed in tubes scre\ 1- IOO ing inside the tubular ends a of body A, as Will be readily understood.

A casin g D of general spherical form is herein shown inclosing the switch, being provided With openings at its ends to receive the reduced projec'ting ends j' of thimblesj, screwing on the screw-threads eXteriorly formed on the ends of body A, said thimbles having open ends and being provided With annular seats 7'? to receive the edges of the shell or casing D, and at top and bottom said easing is also provided With apertures, the opening in the top being closed by a screw-plug k, as seen in the drawings.

The openings in the top and bottom of casing A are alined with the upper and lower ends of shaft B, so that when the screw-plug 7l: is removed a tool may be inserted to loosen the nut f, and through the opening in the bottom of the casing passes the stem of the key C of the device, which key is formed With a square socket in its upper end to receive the squared lower end b of shaft B, and is provided with a perforation extending axially through it to receive the threaded stem of a bolt i, screwing into the socket in the lower end of said shaft B and provided With a head at the base of said key, as seen in Fig. 4.

The device as above described is of an extremel y simple and inexpensive construction and is Well adapted for use on all electric circuits Where it is desired the operative parts shall be exposed as little as possible to prevent deterioration. The construction is also such that the casing may be readily removed so as to expose the Whole device, since the key may be detached by simply removing the bolt fz', and the casing may be removed by unscreiving the thimblesj.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a switch, the combination of a body havin g screw-threaded end portions and a eentral portion recessed on one side, a flattened plate of insulating material held in the recess `in the body a shaft mounted to turnyinsaid central portion of the body and projecting from said plate of insulating material at right angles to the flattened face thereof, insulated contactpoints on said central part of the body, a switch-arm carried on said shaft to engage said contact-points, a casing having openings to permit of said body being passed through it, and thimbles screwing on the ends of the body and serving to hold said casing in place, substantially as set forth.

2. In a switch, the combination of a body having a dovetailed groove and a fiattened surface, a shaft mounted to turnin said body and projecting Jtherefrom at right angles to said iiattened surface, insulated. contactpoints on the body, a switch-arm on the shaft to engage said contact-points, a ratchet-Wheel on the shaft, and a spring having a shank to engage said dovetailed groove in the body and arranged to engage the teeth of Vsaid ratchetwheel, substantially as set forth.

In a switch, the combination of a body having a flattened surface and provided with a groove at an angle thereto, a shaft mounted to turn in said body and projecting therefrom, at right angles to said flattened surface, a ratchet-wheel on said shaft, a Washer of insulating material on said shaft above said ratchet-Wheel and of greater diameter than the same, contact-points on the bod y,a switcharm on the shaft to engage said contact-points, and a spring arranged with one end engaging the teeth of said ratchet-Wheel and held under said Washer, the other end of said spring being provided with a shank to engage said groove in the body, substantially as set forth.

- CHARLES GUSTAF BERGQUIS'I.

llIitnesses:

CHARLES D. COLLINS, W. G. SCOTT. 

